Hydraulic suction dredge



Oct. 28, 1941. J. J. BROWN HYDRAULIC SUCTION DREDGE Filed May 22} 1940 s She ets-Sheet 1 grwe/wfoo JESSE J- BMW/V J. BROWN HYDRAU Get. 28, W41.

IC SUCTION DREDGE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 1| I ,I f, wH 12.1fm M .I I A I! u I i I glvwe/wtow I I LIESSEJ-BROM/IV (Mm-v If! W Oct. 23, 1941.

J. J. BROWN HYDRAULIC SUCTION DREDGE Filed May 22, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 awe/whom JESSEJ. EROWAI Patented Oct. 28, 1941 UNITED STATE 5 "carrier OFFliIlE. 1

HYDRAULIC SUCTION DREDGE Jesse J. Brown, Syracuse, N. Y. Application May 22, 1940, Serial No. 336,659

13 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in hydraulic pipe-line suction dredges, and its prime object is to increase the percentage of the total hours of operation during which the dredge is actually handling material, by eliminating the, necessity for stopping to move up the swinging lines and anchors.

To this end the invention comprises a power driven reversible tractor-wheel borne at the outer end of the suction ladder to pull the suctionenoL of the dredge from side to side with the spud on the other end of the dredge acting as a pivot; in 'a preferred and more comprehensive embodiment and as herein shown, such tractor-wheel also combines in itself the function of a rotary digger or cutter-head to loosen soil and material for pick-up by the suction nozzle.

Another object is to further utilize the periphciated with the suction nozzle, it will greatly reduce the tendency of the suction line to clog.

Another object is to provide swinging means for the dredge which will permit swinging the suction nozzle in a longer are than is feasible with the usual lines and anchors; 180 degrees or more if desiredcan be had at the will of the operator.

Still another object is to eliminate interference with water trafilc by having nov swinging lines in the fairway.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be better understood fromthe following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the distinctive features of novelty will be thereafter pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tractorwheel showing the suction nozzle located inside, and with the suction nozzle and hollow shaft broken away;

- Figure 2 is an elevation of the inboard end of the same tractor-wheel;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a complete dredge equipped with a combined rotary tractorand digger swinging device; and

Figure 4 is a plan diagram of one method of moving up such a dredge.

While it is obvious that when using the combination tractor-wheel and digger of this invention,

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the suction nozzle may be located in any one of various locations relative to the wheel, I prefer to place the nozzle inside the wheel, close to the periphery, and at the bottom. This is shown in Fig. 1 where l is the suction pipe mounted inside the hollow shaft 2. This shaft flares at its outer end and'is there bolted to the ring-shaped in board side 3 of the tractor-wheel. On the periphery of the wheel I may use cutter-rings 4 to cut up caked material and help support tractor .blades 5 which may also be designed to act as cutter teeth for loosening the material to be dredged. The outboard side 6 of the wheel is a. plain disc. The terminus or nozzle lof the suction line I is shown close tovthe inner portions of the rings it and the blades 5. I

Fig. 3 illustrates a preferred method of assembling the tractor wheel on a dredge ladder A. B

is the usual hoisting assembly or tripod, and C is the dredge hull. The suction line I is carried inside the hollow shaft 2 which runs in bearings 8 and is driven thru gear 9 and pinion'lfl by motor .II with any usual or suitable provision '(not shown) for reversing the direction of drive to the tractor-wheel. .The suction line is then carried up the ladder onto'the hull and to the pump 12 driven by motor 13. The discharge line is. indi-- cated at I4.

Hoist drum I5 is for raising the ladder assembly A. A weight box Hiholds weights I! which are provided to vary the total weight impressed uponthe bottom of the out by the tractor-wheel, more weight being needed when working in the harder and-more compacted materials' A variation of this arrangement would be' to make the weights ll of horseshoe shape and adapted to'be mounted on the inboard end of I the tractor- It may be noted that this dredge cannot move )w'alking. on two .spuds and pulling on the swinging lines as is customary, there being noswinging lines. Obviously the tractor-wheel must rest upon the bottom to give traction for swing- It is also 'obvious however, that a number of methods of moving up are available. A push typespud may be used, such as is shown in U.'S. 'Paten'tfNo. 521,580 to Bates; or, the hull may be 2 ,provided with its own propellers or paddle-wheel.

A preferred method according to the present invention of moving up with two spuds is illustrated in Fig. 4. S is the main or working spud.

S is the auxiliary or walking spud shown as adapted to be put into use for moving up the while the cutter-head is raised 01f the bottom picked up by the suction.

dredge as now to be explained. When ready to move up, the dredge is swung to the left pivoting on spud S and just before the tractor-wheel is at Y. The spud'S is now dropped and S raised, and upon reversing the drivethe dredge is swung to the right again on a regular working cut, the tractor-wheel passing through point Z. In the described movement it will be under:

3. A hydraulic suction dredge with a spud at one end, a suction ladder extending diagonally downward and outward, pivotally mounted at its other end, a power-driven tractor-wheel equipped with radially projecting teeth mounted at the outer end of the ladder for swinging the dredge, and a main suction nozzle mounted inside the tractor-wheel with its open end close to the bottom peripheral portion of said wheel and directed radially thereagainst.

4. A hydraulic suction dredge with a spud at one end, a suction ladder extending diagonally downward and outward, pivotally mounted at its other end, a power-driven tractor-wheel equipped with radially projecting teeth mounted at the outer'end of the ladder for swinging the dredge,

stood that the mounting of'spud S' is initially swung on the are 1: to the position 3'0, and

I that in the final movement when the dredge is pivoting on the spud'S dropped in the position "Sc thatthe mounting of spud S will swing to the position Sc.

When depending upon the tractor-wheel to act as a digging or cuttinghead, the blades .5 will naturally be designed with this in view,' and different wheels may be used for working in widely different materials, changing the wheels by means of the cap screws shown at the flared end of the hollow shaft 2.

Inuse, the speed of the wheel over the bot- *tom of the cut may be varied to suit the existing conditions. With the pump operating at a constant-speed, the nozzle can thus be made to pass over a greater or less area per minute, to more nearly maintain the desired percent of solids The tractor wheel obviou'sly is designed to roll on top of the material to be dredged while also digging thereinto. 'Forthis reason, the ladder supporting it should be relativ'elylong as comparedwith' the conventional cutter-head ladder a main suction nozzle mounted inside the, tractor-wheel, and a grating on the periphery of said wheel, said nozzle having its open end at the bottom peripheral portion of said wheel and directed radially downward toward said grating.

5. A hydraulic suction dredge with a spud at one end,. a suction ladder extending diagonally downward and outward, pivotally mounted at its other end, a reversible power-driven tractorwheel mounted at the outer end of the ladder for swinging the dredge, and cutting blades mounted on said wheels periphery and projecting radially therefrom.

6. A hydraulic suctiondredge provided at one end with the usual spud and at the other end with a suction ladder, a hollow shaft mounted in bearings on said ladder and projecting beyond the outer end of the ladder with power connection for rotating said shaft, a tractor-wheel rigidly mounted on the outer end of said shaft,

said tractor-wheel having'substantially the shape of a squirrel-cage or short cylinder with openings at the periphery thereof, blades mounted in order'to maintain the wheel in a nearly ver- I tical position. Building the ladder-with a'bend in it, as is even now frequently done, also assists in maintaining this vertical position. I

I am aware that the inventionmay be embodied in other specific formswithout departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and; therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being hadto the appendedclaims, rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the inven- 1 one end, a suctionladder extending diagonally downward and outward, pivotallymounted at its ,other end,- and a power-driven tractor-wheel equipped with radially 'projectingteethmounted at and borne by, the outer end of the ladder for swinging the dredge from side to side with the roll over the material to be dredged. 2. A hydraulic suction dredge with a spud at one 'end, .a suction ladder extending diagonally "jdownwardand outward, pivotally mounted at its other end,-a power-driven tractor-wheel equipped with radially projecting teeth mounted at and borne by, the outer end of the ladder for swinging the dredge; and means for adjusting the total weight bearing upon the tractof-whelJ.

suction dredge with a spud at 1'spud as a pivot as the tractor-wheel is caused to on the periphery of saidwheel and projecting.

radially therefrom, a fixed main suction pipe carried within said hollow shaft into said tractor-wheel and thence :downward with its end constituting a nozzle positioned just inside the periphery of said wheel, whereby rotation of the tractor-wheel not only swings the dredge from side to side on the spud as a pivot but also loosens material closely adjacent the suction nozzle.

7. A hydraulic suction dredge having a spud mounted at one end thereof, a suction ladder extending downward and outward diagonally at the other end and a combined tractor-wheel and rotary digger with meansfor driving the same in either direction at willmounted at the outer end of the ladder for swinging the dredge from side toside with the spud as a pivot as the tractor-wheeldigger is-oaused to roll over'and dig into the material to be dredged, said rotary digger having cutting blades extending outward from its periphery and constituting peripheral digging elements'and also traction members.

8. A hydraulic suction dredge with a spud mounted at one end thereof, a suction ladder extending downward and outward diagonally borne by its other end, a rotary combined digger and tractor-wheel with power means for driving the same in either direction mounted at the outer end of the ladder for swinging the dredge, and

a suction nozzle mounted inside the tractor-wheel with its inlet end adjacent and turned downward to extend against the periphery of said wheel.

9. A hydraulic suction dredge having a spud mounted at one end thereof, a suction ladder borne by the 'other'end of the dredge, apower driven combined tractor-wheel and digger mounted at the outer end of the ladder for swinging the dredge and also for loosening the material to be dredged, a suction nozzle mounted inside the tractor-wheel, and a screen on the periphery of said wheel formed to also constitute peripheral digging means for loosening the material to be dredged, said wheel equipped with transverse traction elements projecting outward from said screen.

10. A hydraulic suction dredge having a spud mounted at one end thereof, a suction ladder at the other end, a power driven combination tractor-wheel and digger mounted at the outer end of the ladder for swinging the dredge and also loosening the material, cutting teeth mounted on the periphery of the wheel constituting both means to provide traction and also to loosen the material to be dredged, and means for drawing by suction loosened material inward through the bottom peripheral portion of the wheel and into a suction line.

11. A hydraulic suction dredge having a pivoting spud mounted at one end thereof, a suction ladder at the other end, a power driven combined tractor-wheel and digger mounted at the outer end of the ladder, said wheel equipped with a series of spaced apart rings around its periphery constituting both cutting means for loosening the material and also a screen to protect the suction passage from unduly large pieces of material, one of said rings closing the outer end of the wheel so that material may enter at the periphery only, and a suction line extending inward through the wheel and bearing a nozzle which is bent to present its open end downward against the inner periphery of said rings.

12. A hydraulic suction dredge having a spud pivotally mounted at one end thereof, a power driven combined tractor-wheel and digger pivblades spaced apart around saidwheel secured to and braced by said rings and extending radially therefrom to constitute traction means and cooperating with said rings for loosening the material.

13. A hydraulic suction dredge having a suction ladder at one end thereof, a power driven tractor-wheel mounted at the outer end of the ladder adapted to exert impulse for swinging the dredge, a primary spud mounted at the other end of the dredge from the ladder about which the dredge is adapted to swing in operation, and a secondary spud mounted inward from the primary spud and laterally offset with respect thereto for selective use in moving the dredge forward along the center line of the channel for successive cuts.

JESSE J. BROWN. 

